BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Something as simple as running water is a great comfort for Dorthy Applegate.
For more than three years, she lived in a trailer raising her two grandchildren on the Lummi Indian reservation.
"I had no running water," said Applegate. "I did have a hose that went to my sink so I could get cold water and I'd have to heat my water up to do my dishes."
Applegate said she was also the victim of crime and break-ins — leaving her depressed — ruminating over her life and her granddaughters' futures.
"I was just always trying to figure out how the heck can I get out of here and find some place that I can afford," she said.
That's where Bellingham's new Millworks community comes in.
Built on the once contaminated site of an old pulp mill along the Bellingham waterfront, the development consists of 83 permanently affordable apartments renting for about $600 a month less than the market rate.
It also houses a YMCA early learning center, helping provide affordable childcare to the parents of 100 kids.
Millworks assists with other necessities, as well.
"We have a lot of great partnerships across the county," said Whatcom Community Foundation President Mauri Ingram. "They can connect people with the food bank or the Opportunity Council or a number of others that can help connect them to the resources they need."
Bellingham needs to build about 860 new housing units every year to keep up with projected growth. It's only able to complete a fraction of that but the 83 brand new affordable housing units will help.
Mercy Housing runs the development.
The organization's Nathan Box said places like this are life changing for the people who live here.
"I don't know how you can grow and progress without a stable place to call home. For the 83 families that are here, they have that, now. They have a stable foundation, a place they can grow and from there the sky is the limit."
Whatcom County is home to about 232,000 people. 42% of them live in Bellingham. Much of the growth is fueled by remote workers moving to find more affordable housing during the pandemic.
In fact, the population has grown 9% more than planners expected when projecting housing needs in 2016.
The rental vacancy rate in the city is just 3%, pushing up prices and squeezing a lot of people out of the market. Most of those struggling to find an affordable place to live are those on the lower end of the income scale.
For Dorthy Applegate, the simple comforts of running water and safety make her new place truly a home.
"Well, I can just see it getting better and better," she said.
Mercy Housing is currently planning phase 2 of the development. It will bring 110 more units and is expected to open in 2027.